Cancer is a leading cause of death in animals and humans. Several efforts have been and are still being undertaken in order to obtain active and safe antitumour agents to be administered to patients suffering from a cancer. The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide further compounds that are useful in the treatment of cancer.
5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a fluorinated pyrimidine analogue that has been widely used as an antimetabolic anticancer agent for the treatment and palliative management of various forms of cancer including colorectal, pancreatic, breast, and stomach cancer. It is frequently prescribed to subjects whose cancers are considered incurable. Despite its demonstrated clinical usefulness, there are a number of serious disadvantages associated with the use of 5-fluorouracil which can be dose-limiting and which may render patients unable to tolerate treatment using 5-fluorouracil.
There is a significant need in the art for novel compounds, compositions, and methods that are useful for treating cancer with improved therapeutic indications by potenting anticancer effect of 5-fluorouracil.
Disodium salt of carboxylate-methyl ester of 2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxylic acid (Carbatone) with antimetastatic activity, which is disclosed in WO 80/00345 A (INST ORGANICHESKOGO SINTEZA) 06.03.1980, is the most similar compound to 2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxylic acid ester type compounds having general formula I.
The same Carbatone was described in ZIDERMANE, A, et al. Potentiating effect of disodium salt of 2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-bis-carbonyl hydroxyacetic acid on the activity of various antitumor agents. Eksp Onkol. 1987, vol. 9, no. 2, p. 50-2. wherein it was used for decreasing the cyclophosphane toxicity in mice and potentiates the cytostatic activity of cyclophosphane, 5-fluorouracil and arabisosyl cytosine against leukaemia P388, murine sarcoma 37 and Walker's carcinosarcome. As it was described that Carbatone exhibited no antitumour activity.
In ULDRIKIS, J., et al. 1,4-Dihydropyridine derivatives as a means for potentiating the action of antitumor preparations. LATVIJAS PSR ZINATNU AKADEMIJAS VESTIS, KIMIJAS SERIJA. 1983, vol. 1, p. 122-123. is described that disodium salt of carboxylate-methyl ester of 2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxylic acid (Carbatone) increase antitumour activity of 5-fluorouracil.